Time seems to loosely slip between your fingers. You wonder where the last two weeks went when you realize you're in the third week of September. The entire office is busy with chatter and the sound of keyboards clacking away.
You nervously gaze across your desk to see Azumane and Kimiko smiling and laughing amongst each other. The two have grown friendly ever since Azumane's lend Kimiko a hand with the projects that were shoved onto her.
There's a feeling of jealousy when you eye the two.
Things between you and Azumane shifted slightly since the night you came to visit him. You became aware of Azumane's slight standoffish behavior. But you understood why. If the two of you continued to treat one another in an overly friendly behavior, his heart would only suffer more. Despite how he said he would be there for you, you think otherwise.
Loose words can easily be said but actions are much harder to act on when the emotions unravel.
You quietly sigh to yourself. Being in the office is making you feel stuffy. Glancing at the time, you decide to head out of the office to get inspiration for your wedding dress. You've already completed Kozume's suit design and just had to wait on the materials to be shipped.
A light khaki suit, white dress shirt, paired with a low cut light khaki vest adorn with eight brown buttons. You went for the untraditional suit color route. With the theme being in spring, you figured light colors would match well. If Kozume pairs his suit with a few accessories, you're sure he'll look absolutely breath taking.
*excuse my poor photoshop skills*
You only hope Kozume will like the suit when you finish the final product. With your belongings put away, you stand up from your desk to leave. Kimiko notices you preparing to leave and speaks up. "Are you heading out Ms. Y/L/N?"
A slight hesitance looms over you when Kimiko catches you try to slip out of the office without anyone's awareness. You turn to look at the girl with a nod to your head. "Let me walk you out." She smiles, readying herself to stand up.
You quickly wave a hand over to your face. "No, it's alright. Your deadlines are arriving soon. I can walk myself out."
Kimiko wears a small frown but nods her head. Your eyes meet Azumane's for a brief moment. The two of you awkwardly look away. "Have a good day you two." Forcing on a smile, you wave goodbye before walking out of the office.
Kimiko watches Y/L/N leave before eyeing Azumane suspiciously. "Did you two fight?"
Azumane widens his eyes with a raised brow. "W-What makes you think that?"
"The two of you haven't spoken more than a few words lately. It's also rare for Ms. Y/L/N to ever leave the office this early in the day. It's only noon. You've also avoided her when she would initiate a conversation." Kimiko points out all the things she's observed between her two coworkers the past two weeks. Azumane grows embarrassed at the thought and he tries to steer the conversation back to work.
"I think the client would prefer this dress to be looser at the ends." Azumane clears his throat, tapping his pen on the tail of the dress. Kimiko sighs, shaking her head with a small smile.
🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.
You idle in a parking lot with another sigh escaping from you when you rest your forehead against your steering wheel. You didn't expect to be this depressed about your friendship with Azumane. You've also come to the realization that you have no one to talk about this to. Your grandfather no longer around to hear about your troubles. And the last thing you want to do is reach out to that rooster head.
"Ugh..." You groan under your breath, forcing your eyes closed. The chime of your phone pulls you out of your self sadness. The caller ID surprising you.
"Kenma?" You whisper his name to yourself. Extending your hand for your phone that sits in your cup holder, you answer it. "Hello?"
"Hey Y/N." Kozume's low voice meets your ear. An awkward silence fills the call and you're unsure if you should say hello to his hello. But you hear a loud honk on his end. The same honk you hear in your surrounding area.
Tilting your head, you look around. You startle when Kozume's face suddenly appears by your driver side window. You let out a squeal, clasping a hand over your chest. Kozume stifles his chuckle and he lowers his phone away from his ear. You press a button to lower your driver side window.
"What the fuck Kenma?" Your voice is trembling and you feel your heart still race from the surprise.
"You still hate surprises." Kozume mutters more to himself than to you when he speaks.
"Why did you call me if you were nearby?" You lower your phone back into the cup holder. Kozume lowers himself so he's not staring down at you. He crosses his arms and rests them on the opening of the driver window.
"I wasn't sure if it was you, so I called to see if the person in the car would answer. Luckily, it is you."
You eye the golden eyed man.
"You look a bit depressed. Is everything okay?" Kozume carries the conversation. Something he rarely does. He's more of a listener but today he seems to be more talkative. You wonder if it's his way to make you feel comfortable. The two of you only converse about the project and nothing out of that general topic.
You've indirectly ignored him to avoid Kuroo and you feel guilty for doing so without realizing. Kozume's never done anything wrong to you personally. He was left in the dark between your breakup with Kuroo. Not knowing any better, you unintentionally cut yourself off from Kozume the way Kuroo had done to you.
Your eyes downcast to your lap. Speaking to Kozume is much easier than speaking to Kuroo. You doubt Kozume would tell your business to Kuroo without your approval.
"No. I'm feeling a bit depressed." You speak honestly and softly. Kozume quietly watches your emotions form on your face. The slight twitch of your lip forming a frown and the shadow that casts over your eyes.
Kozume looks at the watch that rests on his wrist. Making up his mind, he stands up and reaches into your car to unlock the door. You watch him walk around the front of your car and casually seats himself in your passenger seat. "Let's go window shopping." Kozume mutters the suggestion out as he buckles his seatbelt on. "You still need inspiration for a wedding dress, right? Could I help?"
You look at Kozume in bewilderment, blinking several times. Squinting your eyes at the person beside you, you part your lips to speak. "You...You want to look at wedding dresses with me? It's not going to be exciting or anything. Besides, don't you have other things to do? I don't want to intru-"
"Y/N." Kozume speaks your name curtly. His steely golden eyes looks directly at you. "I'll make time for you Y/N, even if I'm busy. Did you forget I said that?"
Pursing your lips, you feel the need to look away from him. But you couldn't.
"I thought you were just loosely speaking. Like how Asa-" You cut your words off and bite the tip of your tongue.
Kozume catches a hint to what possibly may be causing Y/N to be depressed.
So it has something to do with Azumane.
Kozume steers the conversation away when he pulls up his phone to search up the surrounding wedding dress stores in Tokyo. "There's surprisingly only a handful of wedding dress shops here. I would've thought there would be more in a busy city like this."
"I don't think a wedding dress is a hot demand compared to video games." You reverse the car out of the parking spot while you speak to Kozume.
"I guess that's true." Kozume taps his screen a few times to open up the address into his GPS. He connects his phone through the Bluetooth of your car. The two of you comfortably discuss about the progress of his game while you drive to the first location.
🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.
Upon entering the first wedding dress store, you come out empty handed for inspiration. The second one was no better. The two of you walk side by side to the last location for the day. It's gotten so late already with the sun slowly setting in the horizon between tall buildings.
"I didn't think wedding dress looking would be this tiring." Kozume softly speaks beside you when he opens the door for you. You let out a dry laugh.
"Fortunately for you, you wouldn't have to do this for your real wedding Kenma." You enter the store and are welcomed by the shop owner. Her bubbly personality radiates when she eyes the two of you.
"Welcome to my little wedding dress boutique. What brings you in today?" The owner walks around the counter to meet you by the front entrance. Kozume strolls off and you're left to speak to the owner by yourself.
"I'm here to get some inspiration for a wedding dress." You answer her with a smile. She claps her hands excitedly.
"That's fun!" She leans forward to whisper. "Sorry if I'm wrong but, is he your fiancé?"
Fiancé? Kenma?
"Ah, n-" Your words are cut off when you hear Kozume call out to you. You look around and spot Kozume at the far corner of the shop. The shop owner smiles brightly when she notices Kozume picking out a dress. She hurries over to help him. You exhale under your breath and shake your head with a small smile.
"You have a great eye for detail, sir." You watch Kozume grow shy from the compliment he received from the owner. His eyes meet yours and he points at the dress. "This dress looks pretty."
That's a first. Out of the three stores you've visited today, this is the first one where Kozume compliments a dress.
"I'm sure it'll look even prettier on your fiancé. Would you like to try it on miss?" The owner looks from Kozume to you. Her eager personality makes you feel guilty if you declined her. But you honestly didn't plan to try any dresses on today. You are only here to look for ideas.
Kozume looks at you expectantly. His silent eyes seem to ask you to try it on as well. You're taken aback from his silent plea. You're also thrown off that he didn't correct the owner either about you being his fiancé.
Taking your silence as an okay, the owner gently taps your shoulder and beckons you to follow her to a changing room.
"I'll hold your purse for you." Kozume reaches for the strap on your shoulder and you feel the weight disappear. Not having a moment to discuss this, you feel the urgency to enter the changing room.
After being unwilling to change into the dress for a split second, you give into the pressure. A sadness still eats at you that you're putting on a wedding dress for the reasoning of something else.
"It's rare for couples to go wedding dress shopping together." The owner speaks from outside the changing room. "But I find it special too when they do shop together. It's another memory for them to share." A warm smile lays on the owners face when she waits for you to come out.
You nervously raise your eyes up to the mirror. Instantly you lose your breath when you see how beautiful the dress looks on you. It was pretty before but with it actually being worn, gratifies the beauty. An off the shoulder A-line wedding dress defines your curves and shoulders beautifully. The dress details are kept simple with the top popping out from a simple flower lace detail. This style would suite anyone and it definitely pulls out your best features.
You feel the need to hurry out of the changing room to show Kozume how right he is. Exiting out of the changing room, the owner squeals when she sees you. You giggle from her adorable reaction. The owner may be in her mid 40's but her personality is as youthful as her early 20's.
"Let's go show him!" She carefully takes your wrist and guides you back out to the front of the store. Kozume found himself a chair to sit in while he gazes out of the store window. You're surprised to not find him on his phone playing video games.
"Ta-da!" The owner hums out loudly and dramatically to add more pizazz to your entrance. You grow shy from her efforts to hype you up.
Kozume turns his attention back to Y/N and his usual deadpan expression changes. You notice the slight widening in his eyes and his lips parting slightly to release the breath that's stolen away from him. His eyes slowly follow up to your eyes and you share a smile for him.
"You're right. This dress is pretty Kenma." You speak softly. Kozume slowly walks over to you, circling you to take in the sight.
"Wow." Kozume finally finds his voice when he stops to stand directly in front of you. "I think this style is made for you Y/N."
Your eyes widen slightly and you feel the heat in your face rise. Pursing your lips, you drop your eyes down to the flowing dress. You long forgotten how sad you were earlier today after spending the remainder of the day with Kozume.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. "Is it alright if I take a few photos?" He speaks to the owner who nods her head.
"Take as many as you want." She grins from ear to ear.
Now you're blushing for another reason.
You're quick to hide your face with your hands when you see Kozume raise the phone to his face. He doesn't hide the smile growing on his face when he sees you act shy. A low chuckle erupts from his throat and your attention is pulled away by the warm sound.
"You're really cute Y/N." His light compliment makes you scrunch your nose.
"J-Just hurry and take the pictures so I can have a reference." You weakly retort and he nods his head. Kozume quietly takes a few photos with a smile still resting on his face. While he reviews the photos, you hurry and change out of the dress.
Kozume stares at the photos on his phone.
Y/N is definitely pretty, that's for sure.
He pinches his phone screen to zoom up on her face. A smile forms again on his face when he looks at her. It would be impossible for someone to not fall in love with Y/N if they saw her like this.
Kozume pulls up his conversation with Kuroo. He attaches a few of the images to a text but his finger hovers over the send button.
Originally part of the plan of this project is to help rekindle the two together. But the past two months that he's spent with Y/N sparks back a feeling he last felt ten years ago.
Kuroo isn't the only one that lost time with Y/N. Kozume had too and it was out of his hands when Y/N dropped all contact with him. He never blamed her for it. Mostly because he figured she believed he would stand up for Kuroo no matter what. The two are close friends since elementary school.
But what Y/N doesn't realize is...she's his best friend too. They may not speak and open up as much as he does with Kuroo. But the time they spent together is just as meaningful as the lack of conversations they'd share. The three became friends back in elementary and were always together even in high school.
Even with the occurrence of his two best friends dating, they made sure he wasn't casted aside. He appreciated them for it.
But he did feel guilty as he kept a secret from the two. A secret that could've possibly changed everyone's life if he had told them back then.
The secret that...
"Ready to go Kenma?" Y/N stands in front of him, adjusting her coat back on. She reaches for her purse that sits on Kozume's lap. Kozume stands up and slides his phone back into his pocket.
"Yeah. Let's go." Kozume nods his head, speaking softly. The two say goodbye to the owner before heading out of the boutique. They quietly walk side by side.
"Thanks for spending the day with me Kenma." Y/N breaks the silence. She exhales under her breath and smiles when she looks over to him. "I would've probably sulked at my apartment all day over Asahi."
Asahi?
Her eyes widen when she realizes she's slipped up. Awkwardly giggling, she tucks her hair behind her ear and he notices how the tips are redden from embarrassment. He always found it cute that her ears would redden when she felt nervous or embarrassed.
"I guess there's no point in hiding the reason why I was sad today." She speaks in a hushed whisper. The two arrive at her car and get in when she unlocks it. She turns the car on to warm it up from the cool fall evening. The cold weather will only get harsher as the days go by.
"Asahi and I are going through an awkward part of our friendship." She speaks slowly as if to reaffirm herself. "He confessed his feelings for me not too long ago."
Kozume freezes in his seat. The words coming out of Y/N's lips causes an unbearable unease.
"It's a bit more one-sided."
Kozume relaxes his shoulders that tensed up without his awareness. Hearing her say that gave him some ease. "It's understandable for things to be awkward if his feelings are one-sided." Kozume speaks up.
Y/N nods her head, her eyes flickering and her lips parting ever so slightly. "That's not what made it awkward though." She shifts in her seat and turns to focus on Kozume. "Asahi asked if I wouldn't mind getting back together with Tetsurō when I drop my guard for him. Something about his question made me feel guilty."
Kozume gulps the saliva that builds up, the feeling of a desert forms in his throat. "What did you say?"
Y/N shakes her head, the corner of her lips turning into a frown. "How could I answer a question like that in front of someone who has feelings for me?"
Kozume nods his head slowly. She seems to want to say something else but she holds back.
Seeing her like this makes him grow guilty of his original intentions about hiring her personally for his project.
Kozume isn't any better.
He's basically setting up a scenario for his two friends to get back together. Something like this should happen naturally. He's just as wrong as Azumane for putting her in a spot like this.
"Now I'm jealous when I see Asahi smiling and laughing with another girl. When I should be the last person to feel jealous. It's me who can't return his feelings. So the least I can do is be happy that he's talking to other girls, right?" Her voice cracks and Kozume grows alarmed when he sees a tear slide down Y/N's face.
She turns away to hide her face from him, wiping the tear that slipped past her defenses. "Sorry. I don't know what's gotten to me."
Kozume carefully puts a hand on her shoulder. "You're scared you'll lose him." He feels her tense beneath his palm. "A breakup between friends is just as heartbreaking as a relationship between two lovers. I speak from experience..." Kozume's words grow softer the more he speaks. He feels Y/N shift in her seat, turning back to look at him.
The two share a wavering look at one another.
"When you disappeared from me ten years ago." Kozume speaks up again. "It broke my heart Y/N."
Because I loved you Y/N.
That's the secret he's kept to himself from the two people he cared most for.
A forbidden love for his best friends girlfriend who's also his best friend too.
Love seems to work in an odd way.